Rebel’s ex-wife demands monthly child support

Bacolod City, Philippines — The ex-wife of the top official of the Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPA-ABB) has asked him to comply with a court order requiring him to pay monthly child support.

“I am appealing to him as a father to provide support for his children,” said Jenelyn Jurisprudencia, the former wife of RPA-ABB national commander Joseph Stephen Paduano, alias Carapali Lualhati.

Jurisprudencia issued the appeal for support for her four children at a press conference last Saturday, saying she was informed that her former husband was set to marry again in wedding rites administered by a pastor on Sunday.

In October 2005, Bacolod Regional Trial Court Judge Anastacio Rufon ordered Paduano to pay Jurisprudencia a monthly support of P12,000.

Jurisprudencia said she had four children with Paduano: an eight-year-old boy who was one year and six months old when they separated, a 19-year-old son, a 17-year-old who is a first year BS Math scholar at the University of the Philippines in Diliman and a 15-year-old fourth year high school daughter.

She said she was the wife of Paduano in the years when the RPA-ABB was an underground movement.

But when Paduano surfaced for the peace talks, Jurisprudencia alleged that he replaced her with a woman who works for a national government agency.

“We separated in the first quarter of 2000 and he filed for annulment of our marriage,” she said.

Jurisprudencia said the court annulled their marriage on October 24, 2006 but it only became final March 13, 2007.

“My former husband appears to be living a wealthy lifestyle, having even married his new wife twice, the first in December, and the second at a Bacolod City hotel on Sunday, so how can he say he does not have money for child support?” Jurisprudencia asked.

Jurisprudencia said she works as a casual employee at the Department of Public Works and Highways and earns P200 a day, which is not enough to raise four children.

As a casual employee, she has no paid leaves and paid holidays given regular workers. Last year, Jurisprudencia recalled that she was without any income for four months because there were no DPWH projects.

“If my ex-husband could work for peace talks for the rebel movement, why can’t he make some effort for his own family? He will not even face me,” Jenelyn said.

The RPA chief on Sunday said he did not want to answer his former wife’s statements through the media and would leave the matter to his lawyer.

Paduano confirmed he was set to marry on Sunday but said it would be a private affair as desired by his bride.

Jurisprudencia claimed that her ex-husband married his current wife for the first time in December 2006, several months before the annulment of their marriage became final.

She showed the media a marriage certificate that Paduano married his present wife in civil rites officiated by Judge Pepito Gellada on December 8, 2006 and one of the witnesses was Negros Occidental Representative Ignacio Arroyo Jr., who was represented by a proxy./Inquirer